1、考研英语（阅读）模拟试卷 39 及答案与解析Part ADirections: Read the following four texts. Answer the questions below each text by choosing A, B, C or D. (40 points)0 Reagans Political PurposePolitical platforms are usually written for election campaign purposes, then quickly scrapped after a presidential election. But
2、 the 1980 Republican platform bore a simple five-word title: “Family, Neighborhood, Work, Peace, Freedom “, and was planned and written with the purpose of creating an agenda for a Reagan administration On Day One, Jan. 20, 1981. My signal memory of Reagans first year in office is that we were actua
3、lly able to stick to the plan that he insisted we put in place.Coupled with the basic policy framework, Reagans was one of the most carefully planned presidential transitions in modern political history,full of teams of “Reaganauts“ dispatched to each department and agency in the days following the
4、election. Staffing lists were compiled, and presidential and subca-binet appointments were made swiftly,background checks completed and necessary Senate hearings scheduled. The plan from the outset was to put in place the Reagan economic program as the major priority and foundation for every major i
5、nitiative, domestic and foreign. Tax cuts were high on the presidents agenda, and work began, quietly and in the background for the most part on a huge “get well“ program for the nations defenses.While Reagan received an immediate boost with the Inauguration Day release of the American hostages in I
6、ran, its doubtful that the incident altered his approach. In his first press conference he declared that the Soviets “reserve the right to lie and cheat“ to achieve their goals, setting some teeth on edge. There were, of course, unexpected moments that first year: David Stockmans effort, as budget d
7、irector, to undercut the presidents budget; and, of course, the assassination attempt outside the Washington Hilton in March. Remarkably, Reagan recovered from all these.One other thing stands out: Reagans ability to get along with Democrats, something he had shown he could do as governor of Califor
8、nia. Although the House of Representatives was controlled by Democrats, the president managed to pass his tax reduction package. He also found a way, through one-on-one sessions with senatorial opponents of both parties, to gain Congressional approval of the sale of Awacs radar planes to Saudi Arabi
9、a. By 1991 ,the deployed aircraft were a decisive military asset in the Persian Gulf war.As Reagans debut year came to a close,I remember thinking how remarkable it was that he had managed to stay the course.Having watched subsequent presidencies bend in response to political pressure. I find the pr
10、esidents first-year feat even more remarkable today.1 What of Reagons first year in office impressed the author most?（A）Reagons tax reduction package.（B） Reagons sticking to his policies.（C） Reagons basic policy framework.（D）Reagons ability to do with Democrats.2 The author intends to tell us in the
11、 second paragraph_.（A）how well Reagons presidential transition was planned（B） how perfect Reagons basic policy framework was（C） what Reagon did in the presidential transition（D）what policies Reagon carried out in his work3 According to the passage,what is the most important plan in Reagons first yea
12、r?（A）The program for nations defenses.（B） The arrangement of “Reaganauts“.（C） The subcabinet appointments.（D）The program of economy.4 The examples in Para. 4 shows_.（A）Reagons ability as governor of California（B） Reagon is good at dealing with Democrats（C） Reagons outstanding ability in management（D
13、）Reagons contribution to the Persian Gulf war5 Compared with Reagons first presidential year, its subsequent presidencies tended to_.（A）be unstable in policy making（B） be feel failure dealing with pressure（C） be off the course under pressure（D）be unremarkable as a president5 The Rapid Development of
14、 Advanced Placement Course in the American University is Very WorryingA survey of teachers of Advanced Placement courses in American high schools has found that more than half are concerned that the programs effectiveness is being threatened as districts loosen restrictions on who can take AP course
15、s and as students flock to them to polish their resumes.The study, by the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, noted the sharp growth in the AP programs popularity. The number of high school students who took at least one college-level AP course increased by 45 percent, from 2004 to 2008.The number of AP ex
16、ams those students tookwith hopes, in part, of gaining exemption from some college class work, depending on how well they scored increased by 50 percent.The study found that the teachers were generally satisfied with the programs quality. But when they were asked to explain the growing attraction of
17、 AP classes and tests, 90 percent attributed it largely to more students who want their college applications to look better. Only 32 percent attribute AP growth to more students who want to be challenged at a higher academic level.And according to the study, it is not just the students who are motiv
18、ated in that way. The researchers also noted teachers concerns about high schools seeking “ to enhance their reputation by showcasing AP“. For example, the study found that 75 percent of teachers believed that school administrators were expanding AP courses “ to improve their schools ranking and rep
19、utation“.That the democratization of the AP curriculum has sometimes come at a price was evident in the response of teachers when they were asked if their students were ready and able to handle the work in such courses. More than half said they believed that “too many students overestimate their abi
20、lities and are in over their heads“. Even more teachers said that “parents push their children into AP classes when they really dont belong there“.Fifty-two percent said such courses should be open only to students who could demonstrate that they could handle the work.Michael J. Petrilli, a vice Pre
21、sident at the Fordham Institute, said he detected a tension within the results, given teachers hopes that a generally good program would not be weakened by making it too accessible. In that respect, the findings support Fordhams general position that the nations current focus on raising basic skills
22、 sometimes neglects a need for the continued growth and challenging of high-achieving students.Trevor Packer, a vice president of the College Board, said he welcomed the report as a means of further illuminating the push pull between “equity and excellence“. “We certainly see situations in which AP
23、is provided in classrooms where students havent received adequate preparation and got low scores on the exams,“ Mr. Packer said. “In other situations, though, we see schools providing double the number of seats in AP classrooms they did several years ago, and the average exam scores have increased.“
24、6 What were the teachers of AP courses worried about?（A）The quality of AP program.（B） The effectiveness of AP courses.（C） Their schools reputation.（D）Their schools ranking.7 According to the great majority of the teachers surveyed, students often signed up for AP courses to_.（A）improve their academi
25、c levels（B） challenge themselves（C） polish their college applications（D）do less class work in college8 What did teachers say about the students who take AP courses?（A）Many of them were not capable enough to handle such courses.（B） They were highly motivated.（C） They were not academically ambitious.（
26、D）They enrolled in the courses against their own will.9 What was Mr. Packers attitude towards the report by Thomas B. Fordham Institute?（A）Negative.（B） Positive.（C） Indifferent.（D）Subjective.10 Mr. Packer meant to say, that_.（A）students should have been fully prepared for exams（B） the expansion of A
27、P program led to declining test scores（C） only the excellent students should be allowed to AP courses（D）the expanded AP courses were not a total failure10 McKinseys Research Paper About Reducing Greenhouse GasesMcKinsey Report on Reducing Greenhouse Gases: The United States could shave as much as 28
28、 percent off the amount of greenhouse gases it emits at fairly modest cost and with only small technology innovations, according to the new report. The report said the country was flooded with “ negative cost opportunities “ potential changes in the lighting, heating and cooling of buildings, for ex
29、ample, that would reduce carbon dioxide emissions from the burning of fossil fuels even as they save money. “These types of savings have been around for 20 years,“ said Jack Stephenson, a director of the study. But he said they still face tremendous barriers.Among them is that equipment is often pai
30、d for by a landlord or a builder and chosen for its low initial cost. The cost of electricity or other fuels to operate the equipment is borne by a tenant or home buyer. That means the landlord or builder has no incentive to spend more in advanced for efficient equipment, even though doing so would
31、save a lot of money in the long run. Another problem is that consumers often pay no attention to energy use in choosing gear. Computers, for instance, can be manufactured to use less power, but with most users oblivious to energy efficiency when they are shopping for a computer, manufacturers percei
32、ve no competitive edge in spending the extra money on efficiency.The report focused on describing the problem, rather than on advocating fixes. But it did mention some possible solutions. Rules for utilities could be rewritten so they make as much money in promoting conservation as in selling electr
33、icity, the study said. The task might also require emissions limits and other government mandates, as well as incentives like tax breaks to promote efficient buildings, cars and appliances, the study said. The McKinsey report said “lifestyle changes“ by Americans could play a role in improved effici
34、ency. In contrast to improved efficiency, measures like capturing carbon dioxide from coal power plants and storing it would be relatively costly, and they account for less than 10 percent of the potential to cut emissions, the study said. The potential contributions from new nuclear plants and rene
35、wable energy supplies from wind or solar sources are also relatively modest, the report said.11 To save money, landlords or builders are not willing to buy_.12 Most computer users dont pay much attention to_.13 The report focused on describing problems instead of_.14 To capture and store carbon diox
36、ide would be more_and less efficient.14 The Female Life Expectancy is Advantageous to Social Security ProgramOne of the great advances of 20th century was increased life expectancy. This advance might have bankrupted Social Security, if it were not for women in the work force.When the Social Securit
37、y program was created in the 1930s, life expectancy was 60 years,as compared to 75 years in the 1980s and 78 years today. With 1930s life expectancy, a great number of people were expected to pay Social Security taxes while they worked, but never live long enough to ever collect benefits. The early
38、planners of the system understood that the prior contributions of the now-deceased were one way that a retiree could collect more in benefits than he paid in taxes.Although there are still some Americans who work, pay taxes, and then die before collecting Social Security benefits, this life cycle is
39、 much less common than it used to be. Thus you would think that Social Security would have had a huge deficit years ago.Once they turn 62 years old, married people, widows and widowers are eligible for Social Security, regardless of whether they ever worked for pay during their lifetimes. When Socia
40、l Security was in the planning stages, it was expected that most working-age couples would have only one person working (and thereby paying the payroll tax)typically the husband. Yet when these couples retired, Social Security would pay benefit checks to both of them as long as they lived. Thus, a p
41、ayroll tax rate was planned that could bring in enough revenue from working men to pay both the retired men and the retired women.History did not quite turn out that way. In fact, millions of married women worked for pay and paid the payroll taxes as they did. This was largely profit for the Social
42、Security system, because the system would have paid those women benefits regardless.The revenues of governments in the future will depend just as much on how women spend their time. Governments can expect more revenue if women continue significantly with their labor market progress, and less revenue
43、 if some of womens payroll gains are reversed in the years ahead.15 Why does the author say “this advance might have bankrupted Social Security“ ?（A）More people would collect benefits from Social Security due to the longer life expectancy now.（B） Only one person of a couple works and pays the payrol
44、l taxes, but both collect benefit checks.（C） Fewer people die before they are entitled to collect Social Security benefits.（D）More and more women without work get benefits from Social Security.16 What is said about Social Security program in the 1930s?（A）The limited life made many people pay Social
45、Security taxes yet never benefit from it.（B） Life expectancy was only 60 years, so few people would like to pay the Social Security taxes.（C） A retiree could collect more in benefits if he/she would not die before the limited time.（D）Women dont need to pay for Social Security taxes and have no right
46、 to benefit from it.17 What does the word “deficit“ (Line 6, Para. 3)mean?（A）Profit.（B） Shortage.（C） Backwardness.（D）Progress.18 What does the author want to convey by saying “History did not quite turn out that way“ ?（A）History is unpredictable and will not be as we expect.（B） Men dont have to pay
47、the Social Security taxes any more.（C） Women play an important role in Social Security.（D）Women dont need to work hard like they did before.19 What does the author imply in the last paragraph?（A）It is important to ensure and promote women in workforce.（B） Governments revenues in the future mainly co
48、me from women workforce.（C） More and more women should sit on the governments.（D）Governments should put the labor market under the charge of women.19 The Bicycle Sharing Plans of EuropeWhile on vacation in Barcelona last month, Laura Caddick saw a lot of people tooling around on red-and-white bicycl
49、es. But the bikes that she saw everywherepart of the citys bicycle-sharing programwere for use by local residents only.Fortunately, Ms. Caddicks hotel, ME Barcelona, had several bicycles for guests. “I rode down to the beach, then to the port and up to the Ramblas, stopping for drinks and lunch along the way.“ Said Ms. Caddick. She paid 20 euros to rent the bike for four hours and felt she saw more of Barcelona than she would had she taken the Metro from the h
